


If Only We Had Realized in Time

by Poke Kei (Maki_Kei)



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions
Genre: Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-24
Updated: 2015-11-24
Packaged: 2018-05-03 04:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5276417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maki_Kei/pseuds/Poke%20Kei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If Steven and Wallace had said it sooner, what would their life have been like?</p>
            </blockquote>





	If Only We Had Realized in Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sweatertime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweatertime/gifts).



> My lovely friend who suggested and helped me develope this idea. I love them <3

Wallace had a hard time seeing through his blurred vision. Tears stung under his lids and pooled in front of his pupils, they stuck to his lashes and made it difficult to blink away.

He fumbled with the buttons of his coat, trying to get it fastened around his waist properly. In the end, he only managed to hang it around his shoulders because he was shaking too much to get the buttons through the buttonholes.

As soon as he managed to get himself out the door of his house, he called out a Pokemon to fly him to his destination. He landed on the beach outside Slateport, and though all he wanted to do was run into the city, he headed to where he was to meet Juan.

“Wallace, my boy,” His old mentor said with concern, unspoken apology showing in his eyes. “I'm so sorry, this is terrible. It never would have happened if only I had taken the shift at the gym, so you could have watched him properly the way you wanted-” But Wallace interrupted him.

“Master. This has nothing to do with what you did or didn't do. It's my fault, really,” Wallace paused in order to not choke on the lump growing in his throat. “I should have simply stopped him in the first place.”

Juan said nothing, just grabbed Wallace’s arm and pulled him into a hug. He rubbed his back in a reassuring manner, trying to calm the younger man.

“Yet,” Wallace began, pulling away and wiping his eyes with his wrist. “It's already happened. All we can do now is be there for him.” Juan nodded, and then wrapped an arm around Wallace’s shoulders as he turned to leave.

The tall doors of Slateport hospital looked several times more intimidating now that Wallace was walking inside, rather than merely walking by it on the street. He drew in a deep breath before entering, and then walked up to the front desk.

“Excuse me, could we get in to see,” Wallace began, but was quickly interrupted by the lady at the counter.

“Are you family?” She asked. Wallace looked at her, confused. She had obviously picked up on that judging by her response: “The patient you're here for, are you immediate family?”

“Er, no...I'm a close friend.” Wallace had never been asked this right off the bat before, and he was scared of what she was going to say next.

“If you aren't immediate family, there's no use in going through the hassle of figuring out if you are allowed to go in, since usually you can't unless you're family anyway.” She stated, not looking at them the whole time she spoke.

“Excuse me ma’am, will you just hear us out?” Juan asked.

“Family first. That's the rule, just like in most facilities. If you aren't family, why should I even bother?” She asked, bluntly. At that moment, Joseph Stone walked into the room.

“I'm here! Sorry I'm late,” he directed towards Juan and Wallace, and then turned to the woman at the front desk. “Excuse me, ma’am, we are here to see a patient named-” But, like Wallace and Juan, Mr. Stone was interrupted in the same fashion.

“Are you family?” She asked him. At this point, Wallace had begun to grow impatient. He needed to see Steven immediately, he needed to tell him, let him know before… Wallace swallowed again, trying not to think about the worst.

“Yes, I am his father. Please, I know you are just obeying orders, but will you let these two in as well? The three of us are as close to a family as he's got.” Mr. Stone requested. The woman pursed her lips, and then came to a conclusion.

“Alright, give me the name and information of your patient.” She said, finally giving in.

 

* * *

 

A familiar smell hit Steven’s nose, causing his eyes to open involuntarily. He looked around the prosthetic looking room and bit his lip. Pain seared in every portion of his body, and his lungs swelled with each breath as if they would push themselves out of his chest at any moment.

His eyes wandered, attempting to find the culprit of the scent that had wafted in and woken him from his deep sleep. He blinked slowly, his lids hooding his eyes as he peered upon the visitors in his room.

Then Steven began to remember. What had really happened? Where was he? Why were Wallace and Juan and his father all standing there? Then he recalled the accident. It happened when he'd heard about the discovery of a new chamber in the cave over in Dewford. It was amazing, but also very dangerous, and even an experienced spelunker could get hurt in such an unstable crevice.

Steven got a headache just thinking back on it. He hadn't expected the cave to just collapse on him like that; though it should have been obvious to him since the chamber was a relatively new formation. He looked endearingly and apologetically at Wallace, who now wore an expression of anger and sadness. Steven should have listened to Wallace and explored the cave later when it had been secured, rather than trying to be the first to make discoveries.

“Father...Juan…” Was all Steven could manage, panting and feeling as though speaking would break him. The chirping of the heart monitor sang out in a frighteningly slow rhythm, one that put everyone in the room on edge.

“Would you like us to give you two a minute?” Juan asked. Steven nodded, unable to utter even that much of a response as a result of shying away from the pain. Juan and Mr. Stone left the room, and Wallace stared down at Steven with the most devastating expression Steven had ever seen.

Steven reached a hand to Wallace’s face, cupping his cheek in the palm of it. “Walla…” He managed. Wallace responded by grabbing the cold, rough hand in both of his own, much more delicate ones.

“Don't speak of it pains you, Steven.” Wallace gripped tightly to that large,calloused hand that was uncharacteristically bare. He caressed each of his fingers, feeling the indentations left by the absent rings.

“But...I have something,” Steven began, clenching his teeth as if to wait for the pain in his lungs to pass so he could manage a few more words. He only needed a few more. “important that you need… to hear.”

 

* * *

 

Upon walking into the room, Wallace immediately wanted to leave. Seeing Steven in such a miserable condition made his eyes swell again, it was something he didn't want to look at.

The steely haired man lay surrounded by white, greatly contrasting the immense redness that was the result of practically all the skin on his body having been scraped up. His skin was torn apart in chunks at various locations across his face and arms, though that of course was all Wallace could see, because he was under several layers of blankets and sheets. He assumed the rest of his body looked much the same, if not worse.

The red discoloration was of course accompanied by several shades of purple, green, yellow and black due to intense bruising. All of this combined made Wallace shy away from the sight of the man who was his best friend, the friend he never wanted to see like this. It made the tears return he Wallace’s eyes, threatening to turn him into a mess at a moment's notice.

Currently, Wallace was leaning in at Steven’s side by the edge of his bed. He was unable to control any physical reactions to the situation, because he was so riled up that he was at a loss for will power. This was why he was so delicately stroking Steven’s hand, and had now placed the other on his soft hair, petting it down over his bashed up forehead as of trying to hide the wounds.

“Steven...I'm so sorry…” Wallace said, biting back the tears that disobeyed him and trickled down his cheeks anyway, as well as trying to swallow the lump in his throat that kept taking up residence there all day. Neither to no avail.

“No,” Steven said, coughing. “I should've...listened to you,” He said, voice strained more with every word.

“I should've tried harder…” Wallace began, letting out a sad huff of air.

“Let us not...pass around the blame, friend…” Steven replied with shallow breaths of air. “At any...rate, I've got...to tell you,” Was all he got out before needing to catch his breath once more.

“Oh Steven…” Wallace choked, voice becoming a whisper.

“Wallace...truth is...I,” Wallace began rubbing Steven’s cheek now, being careful to not brush against his wounds. “I can't believe I had to go...and kill myself to...realize this, literally,” The chirps of the monitor became more and more unsteady, putting Wallace on edge.

Steven however, knew that the monitor was only giving him evidence of his nervousness. His hands shook and he broke out into and cold sweat. His heart tried beating fast, but it was damaged to the point that doing so caused pain in his chest. Yet, he had to get it out, even if it were to be his dying words.

“Wallace, I...Love you,” Steven stuttered, and before Wallace could say anything: “Deeply, more than...as a friend...I really,” Steven struggled to get it out to his very last breath. “Love you,” At this point, Wallace began to sob.

“Steven, I love you too,” Wallace placed his forehead upon Steven’s, letting his tears fall on Steven’s face. At that moment, Steven took the opportunity while he still had it.

“Wallace,” He said, drawing the turquoise haired man’s attention to him, before lifting his head just enough to gently push his lips into Wallace’s. Wallace began to take them with his, and they initiated in a sweet, melancholy kiss.

A long, shrilling beep, accompanied by the relaxation of Steven’s face that caused their lips to gently part as his head dropped back onto the pillow, made Wallace’s heart sink to the pits of his stomach. He began to feel as though the world had started to crumble around him, a flood seizing hold of his body.

“S...Steven?” Wallace called. With no answer, his face began to fill with heat. His heart raced and his eyes began to wet his face once again. “Please, don't leave me. I don't want to be alone, Steven.” Wallace buried his face into the man’s ominously motionless chest, feeling the fabric dampen beneath his face.

“We were so stupid...if we…No, if only I, hadn't realized too late,” Wallace began, lifting his head to look at Steven’s face. He wore an expression that looked as though he could still hear Wallace, as though he'd open his eyes and nod any minute in reassurance. “What would our life have been like together, Steven?”

Wallace could hear doctors and nurses quickly rushing towards the room, and he knew these few seconds would be some of the last he'd spend alone with the love of his life before reality could sink in.

Reality, huh? In reality, Steven had been through, no, survived the apocalypse. This couldn't possibly be reality. After Wallace had watched Steven accompany such young trainers in saving the world and all the people in it who would never even know of his existence, how could he lose him now to a simple caving accident?

No, this couldn't be reality; Wallace wouldn't believe that.

 

* * *

 

Wallace awoke to a peck on his cheek from soft lips. He turned to look Steven in the eyes, the man’s face as sharp as ever with his strong jawline accenting his tired grin endearingly.

“Good morning, dear.” Wallace said, catching Steven in a passionate greeting kiss.

“Ah, it's a pleasure to see you too.” Steven answered, his eyes closed, causing his lashed to protrude from his lids far enough to tickle Wallace’s cheek.

“You have no idea.” Wallace pulled away. He held Steven’s face in his hands, looking at every flawless feature with vigor. He didn't want to let him out of his sight.

“What's...wrong?” Steven asked.

“I had this awful nightmare…” Wallace replied. Steven cocked his head slightly to one side.

“My sweat Wallace, please, tell me about it.” Steven pressed.

“Well...It was that you died in a caving accident.” Wallace felt awkward telling Steven, not wanting the man to get frightened by it. To Wallace’s surprise, Steven merely stifled a chuckle.

“Silly boy, why would you have so little faith in my talents that you'd fret over such a thing? Now now, don't worry over such a trivial matter.” Steven began. To Wallace, however, this was no trivial matter at all. Something like this was entirely possible, and he didn't want it to happen for real. Ever.

Seeing the unconvinced, stressed look on his husband’s face, Steven continued: “I'm here right now, and that's all that matters.” He then reciprocated the hold on Wallace’s face, pulling him into his own and locking their lips together. Steven gently caressed his mouth over Wallace’s before parting their lips and gently pushing his tongue into the roof of the other man’s mouth. This achieved a gasp from Wallace, who began to mimicking Steven’s movements.

The two continued their adolescent passions, and Wallace was flooded with an overjoyed sensation, butterfree surfacing from the pit of his stomach. He tangled his fingers helplessly in Steven’s hair, before gently shifting them into a lower position. He stroked the length of Steven’s height before resting his hands in the small of his back.

He held tightly to this man that he never wanted to let go, whom he didn't want anything to happen to. He didn't want a repeat of his dream. However, he also knew all good things had to come to an end. Wallace felt his warm tears surface once more as Steven whispered into his lips: “Everything is going to be alright. Even when you wake up, it's going to be okay. I promise.”

Wallace blinked the moisture from his eyes in vain, now looking at the empty space next to him in his bed. He heard the shrill vibrations of Juan trying to contact him on his Pokenav, bringing him back to the reality he didn't want to face. He squeezed one of Steven’s rings between his index finger and thumb, before slipping it onto his ring finger.

If only his dream were real, if only he could slip into that alternate ending where he could be with Steven forever. He rolled the ring around his finger with his other hand, wishing it could have a permanent place there the way it had in his dream.

“Everything is going to be alright, won't it Steven?” Wallace asked himself, crying now as he kept his hands still, clutching one tightly with the other. “Everything is going to be alright. Because you promised.” Wallace repeated.

“You would never break a promise.”


End file.
